Last December, Phyllis Coletta, who also serves as her husband’s spokesman for his 3rd Congressional District bid, weighed in on the GOP 2008 presidential ticket on her blog.

John McCain seemed a nice man but totally unfocused and Sarah Palin would be a great gal to have a beer with but please don’t let her near the Red Phone.

Asked today about the blog post, Coletta said, “Oh (expletive)! I did write that! But you know what? I’m not the candidate. I’m the wife. I work for nothing. I work like a dog.”

Coletta added that plenty of others also didn’t think in 2008 that Palin was ready for the job. She said she started the blog so “real people” could understand what grassroots people go through in a campaign. She said if every word is going to be scrutinized she probably is going to have to take her blog down.

In an interview this week, Coletta talked about the campaign’s efforts in getting the Palin endorsement. McConnell faces state Rep. Scott Tipton in the GOP primary. The winner will take on U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa.

Phyllis Coletta is an American; last I checked our Constitution still protected freedom of speech. Of course, without men like Bob McConnell standing up in its defense; we might not have that long. Don’t we all want the right to speak our own mind without being judged or condemned because someone else, (even those closest to us), has a different opinion? Or worse yet; to have a loved one be the targeted victim of our own personal opinions? Who said spouses had to agree politically? Who said Coletta couldn’t be absolutely THRILLED for the success of her husband’s campaign without having to be lockstep in line with what anyone at all thinks she should? Isn’t this still America? Well is it or isn’t it? You dare hang her out to dry for the very freedom YOU earn your living by? If I were you Ms. Bartels; I would have chosen to CELEBRATE the very fact and freedom you just attempted to disparage and destroy. But then; that just wouldn’t be dirty politics enough now would it? I for one American am sick to death of exactly this. I say, GO BOB! GO PHYLLIS! And thank God Almighty we live in the greatest country on earth and each of us is given individual free speech. Even those that would attempt to spin this great freedom to their own advancement and end……..Ms. Bartels, a poor choice indeed to spin that as something ugly.

I have met and talked with Phyllis. She is an honest, open person who doesn’t try to hide who or what she is. She loves her husband and supports him 100%. She has so changed her mind about a lot of things but then so have a lot of others which is why the Dem Party and the Repub Party are losing people to the Independents and/or unaffiliated in droves.

It is those who really care about our country, including people like Phyllis who have worked so hard to help get a true, grassroots Conservative like Bob McConnell elected that will bring our country back to a fiscally and constitutionally responsible government.

I couldn’t tell you who most of the wives or husbands are of elected representatives even at a local level so this “go after the wife” thing is just silly. In a country where we celebrate “Women’s’ Suffrage” this seems like a political hit job instead of journalism.

I will be voting for Bob McConnell for CD3 and I am proud to have met his wonderful wife who is an asset to our nation and a credit to her gender.

Go to http://www.mcconnellforcongress.com and check out the rebuttal post from Phyllis Coletta. THIS piece by Ms. Bartels is exactly what is wrong and Coletta’s honest assessment is exactly what is right. Pfft on you Ms. Bartels for taking the very freedom we CELEBRATE, the one you make your living on, the one every AMERICAN holds as a right guaranteed by the Constitution and throwing it down like a smear on this man’s campaign. You obviously haven’t done your research; check out who Bob McConnell is. Your agenda is obvious. This is a man who will stand and defend the freedoms of our Constitution. His, Palin’s, his wife’s, mine and even your attempt at dirty media politics as usual. What’s next? Heil Bartels?

I have met and talked with Phyllis. She is an honest, open person who doesn’t try to hide who or what she is. She loves her husband and supports him 100%. She has so changed her mind about a lot of things but then so have a lot of others which is why the Dem Party and the Repub Party are losing people to the Independents and/or unaffiliated in droves.

It is those who really care about our country, including people like Phyllis who have worked so hard to help get a true, grassroots Conservative like Bob McConnell elected that will bring our country back to a fiscally and constitutionally responsible government.

I couldn’t tell you who most of the wives or husbands are of elected representatives even at a local level so this “go after the wife” thing is just silly. In a country where we celebrate “Women’s’ Suffrage” this seems like a political hit job instead of journalism.

I will be voting for Bob McConnell for CD3 and I am proud to have met his wonderful wife who is an asset to our nation and a credit to her gender.

Wow, Sarah Palin really did her homework before endorsing this guy! Read his plan for healthcare, as socialistic as Obama’s. Wife voted for Obama, never been involved before (why we are in the mess we are in because of people like this), wife doesn’t even understand that we are a representative republic not a democracy, he is supposed to be a great conservative leader and couldn’t even get her to vote for a moderate Republican? Obviously this endorsement was “well thought out”. What deal did McConnell cut, speaking of back room deals, since the Palin camp never attempted to contact the Tipton campaign. 5 minutes of research will tell you that Tipton is the obvious choice here!

I don’t believe the Palin camp contacted the McConnell camp either, Jen, but obviously they did their homework and realized that Bob McConnell is the true Conservative not beholden to the Rep Party Machine. GO Bob.
And Phyllis, you are a good person and if you changed your mind, well welcome to the club. There are thousands of people out here who didn’t know the “change: they were voting for.

OH BTW, how many of you women out there let your husband dictate who you vote for? Are you wearing a burka?

Phyllis…it's called pandering. We see it every day in politics…it's disgusting. “I'm a leader, not a politician.”…..really? but you belong to a political party Bob…so yes you're a politician. And if you're HONEST and have INTEGRITY there's no shame in saying you're a politician.

It's about time someone called out the McConnell camp! Good work Lynn Bartels! Not only did Phyllis not want Palin near the red phone – she made sure it didn't happen by voting for Obama. Who is McConnell? From what I can tell he's a politician without integrity.

It's interesting to read that it is UN-AMERICAN to have a change of heart, that it is UNPATRIOTIC to find out that what you thought was right is now wrong. I have lived quite a long life now and if I still had the same beliefs I had when I was younger, I probably would have never advanced to today. It's alright to change your mind, it's fine to realize what you hoped was perfect was far form even being right. TO change your mind is the product of having new information, analyzing it and realizing your thought process was flawed. If I am to understand Bartels, I would have to believe that I must be stuck in my mindset from birth to death, never to have a change of heart, never being allowed to realize I made a mistake, my eyes are now open and my new course set. For all the readers, when was the last time you realized your decision making process was bad and wanted to change your mind? How about this morning at breakfast? How about the car accident you got a ticket for, how about the buyers remorse you felt when you bought that suit or dress that just looks horrible now. Give me a break, I change my mind on a daily basis and am proud of the ability to do so. Unlike Samantha, or should I say Bailey, my mind is open, not closed, I change my opinion from time to time. At least I'm not stuck in the same rut as Jen Bailey is. At least I'm honest.

What are you talking about? The story is that the same woman who supposedly 'chased down' the Palin endorsement also doesn't believe Palin is qualified to be a leader. Then we have her saying that the McConnell campaign doesn't need the press, yet her candidate husband is holding a press conference to brag about the endorsement. An endorsement from a person that his wife sure didn't think highly of according to her own writing…but then again I guess that was before she was pandering for her husband.This doesn't have anything to do with the 1st Amendment or “dirty politics,” its about honesty. Something seemingly lacking from a good number of our Republican campaigns nowadays.

If you're going to go out and seek out an endorsement maybe you should keep track of what you yourself have said. She totally has the right to speak her mind and be proud of it- but if she is so proud and righteous as her new blog (note her old blog has been completely dismantled) claims she is- why not leave your words up for all to see? I'd also note that Coletta didn't seem so incensed over the press as an institution a few days ago when they announced the Palin endorsement very publicly to the media.

Pandering? You must not be married and with your outlook I wouldn't. Marriage is a cooperative effort. You support each other. It takes two to make it work. Supporting and standing by your husband or wife is not pandering. You need to add some years before you pass judgment on others. And I notice you didn't answer any questions that were asked of you. Why does this race interest you so much since you don't live in the district? Are you a Tipton? No one makes these kinds of comments from the McConnell camp to the Tipton camp or supporters. Why not? Are you losing and desperate or just rude?

It is important to remember that the candidates are running for office, NOT their spouses! Does anyone know or care that Tipton's wife has NEVER voted? Let's keep this train on the tracks people… don't get derailed by the opposition's B.S.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.